Touching Perfection
by Passionate Cec
Summary: On a warm summer day, Helen looks out the window and thinks about what Ashley and Henry have brought to her life. Helen/Ashley/Henry.


Hey there.

I'm just going to put this out there : I am SO DARN HAPPY about the renewal even though I'm sad that we only get 13 episodes.

Anyway. Back to this little piece of fluff. I hesitated a long time before deciding to only put this under Helen because I think Ashley and Henry are equally important in this so I couldn't just choose one of them.

Hope you will like it. It didn't take me all that long to write and turned out shorter than I had expected. But that's okay.

Sanctuary and its characters don't belong to me. The sole purpose of this story is entertainment. No copyright infringement intended.

Let me know how you liked it. :)

Enjoy. :)

**Touching**** Perfection**

Helen lifted the tea cup her manservant had brought her to her lips and took a slow and lazy sip. She smiled and sighed as the rich liquid swirled over her taste buds. Her friend always seemed to know the brand she would be in the mood for. This morning, he had chosen a warm and spicy Indian tea which she favored in the summer, when the sun was high in the sky and the temperature barely lowered at night leaving her warm and content with the soft breeze that played with her dark strands as she rested on the terrace.

Still holding her cup, she pushed up from her chair and walked towards the open window. She could hear her daughter's laughter and squeals as she ran around the garden with Henry. Helen smiled as she saw the two children obviously having fun. The boy was settling in surprisingly well and she suspected her little blonde angel had a lot to do with it. Her daughter was easy going and the first time she had seen Henry, she had grinned broadly and stepped forward, waving before introducing herself as if it was the most natural thing to welcome a shy, awkward and grimy boy, who did not speak a word of English and who did not know his way around society. But he had bonded with Ashley quickly and they were as close to siblings she could ever hope them to be.

Helen grinned as she recalled Ashley helping Henry choose a name. She had shown him every possible picture that Helen owned that she could get her hands on. Wordlessly, he had pointed at one of them with a questioning look. Ashley had run to her office with the picture.

'Mommy, who is that?' She had asked without any introduction. Helen had raised an eyebrow but had grabbed the picture.

'Well, that's me. And Henry Ford.'

'Okay.' Ashley had reclaimed the picture and run away again, leaving Helen speechless and confused.

That night, at dinner, Helen had cried when the boy had looked at Ashley for reassurance before looking up at her, pointing a finger at his chest and stuttering 'Henry.' The word had been a bit deformed. He wasn't used to speaking so his vocal cords had to get used to it. And he had never spoken in English anyway. But she had understood the gist of it. He had shot her a questioning and decidedly concerned look. Helen had stood up from her chair and walked over to him, crouching down next to his chair and pulling him into a warm hug. Ashley had joined them and Helen had kissed her temple, muttering 'well done, darling' in her ear before kissing Henry's forehead.

Her smile brightened as she watched the two children. James might have disagreed at the time, but bringing her daughter to the world had been the best decision she had ever made. She had felt lonely, desperate and just about ready to give up on her prolonged life. The last thread she had had to hold on to was her unborn child. The product of her and John's love. The evidence of how consuming and overpowering their passion had been.

During the pregnancy she had more than once regretted her choice. But she had known as she held her little girl for the first time that she had made the right decision. She had been filled with so much love and warmth and had known that, come Hell or high water she would have her baby girl with her and she would fight to protect her child tooth and nail because she was the most beautiful thing the world had ever produced and Helen Magnus was going to make sure her daughter was happy. As long as that was the case, as long as she could see her daughter's smile, the light in her blue eyes, she would be happy as well.

She couldn't believe that just a few years ago, she had been so utterly lonely and now she had two beautiful children. One cheeky and perfect little girl. And one still shy but incredibly smart little boy. The emptiness in her heart had finally been filled and she didn't think she could be any happier than with her two children playing in the yard under her and her manservant's watchful eye as she sipped a cup of hot and soothing tea. The sun shone over her city, painting the trees, the river, the flowers, the buildings, her daughter's pink skirt and her son's green shirt in bright colours. The birds were chirping, a light breeze played with her hair. She closed her eyes.

It was a perfect day.


End file.
